AUGUST 3 2019 LISTENER 37
Blend the dressing ingredients in a
small bowl or screw-top jar.
Line a large, shallow platter with wit-
loof leaves and daikon slices. Add the
warm mushrooms and salmon chunks.
Pour over the dressing, then top with
the peas and pea shoots. Serve warm.
Serves 4.
Wine match: pinot blanc. lLIZ(^) C
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WARM SHIITAKE AND SALMON SALAD
100g fresh shiitake mushrooms
2 tbsp fruity olive oil
200g piece mānuka hot-smoked salmon
½ cup frozen peas
1 handful pea shoots
2 heads witloof (also called chicory or
belgian endive)
20 paper-thin slices daikon (use a
mandolin or very sharp knife)
DRESSING
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 orange, juice and zest
3 tbsp fruity olive oil
1 tsp freshly ground pepper
Quarter the shiitake, removing the
end of the stalks, which can be
woody. Gently heat the oil in a small
frying pan, then add the shiitake and
cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring fre-
quently. Keep them warm in the pan.
Meanwhile, heat the salmon in a
preheated 160°C oven for about 10
minutes or until warmed through.
Flake the fish into bite-sized chunks.
Bring a small saucepan of water
to the boil, then cook the peas for 2
minutes. Drain well, then combine
with the pea shoots.
Separate the witloof into individual
leaves.
Chicken and
bacon parcels with
shiitake sauce.
Left, warm shiitake
and salmon salad.
■ Shiitake can be cooked in the
same ways as common mush-
rooms, although they are drier
and burn easily. For the best
flavour, leave shiitake whole or
quarter and sauté gently with a
little stock or water until nearly
dry. They can be sliced for
sauces and stir-fries, or roasted
and grilled with a generous
amount of good oil.
■ Pepper, garlic, shallots, thyme,
ginger and soy sauce enhance
the umami flavour.
■ Fresh shiitake should have firm
flesh and barely opened caps.
Cooked, they should be silky
and supple. Keep covered with
a damp towel in the fridge and
use within a few days.
foods. They can be described as comforting, as the
mouth retains an almost soft coating of umami
that lingers long after the food has been swallowed.
The best-known and most easily recognised
umami taste is in dashi, a light, clear Japanese soup
made by simmering kombu (a seaweed) and bonito
flakes in water. It is one of the main building blocks
of Japanese cuisine.
Mushrooms are a great source of umami. Tradi-
tionally, we have eaten the world’s most popular
variety, Agaricus bisporus, which is sold as white
button, larger white, little swiss brown and the
larger, meaty portobello. The second most popular
mushroom is the shiitake, which is usually sold
dried. However, fresh shiitake will now be more
widely available, because Christchurch company
Meadow Mushrooms has started growing them.
CHICKEN AND BACON PARCELS WITH SHIITAKE SAUCE
250g fresh shiitake mushrooms
3 shallots
2 cups young spinach, well washed
2 tbsp butter
salt and pepper
8 boned chicken thighs
8 rashers streaky bacon
1 cup chicken stock
1 tbsp chopped thyme
500g broccolini or sprouting broccoli
Preheat the oven to 180°C.
Choose about 4 medium shiitake, then chop them
finely. Finely chop 1 shallot. Slice the spinach finely.
Melt the butter in a frying pan, then add the shii-
take and shallot. When soft, aromatic and starting to
turn golden, add the spinach and cook quickly over
a medium heat, stirring, until it wilts and most of the
moisture has evaporated. Season with salt and pepper.
Pat the chicken dry with paper towels, then
flatten each thigh. Place a small spoonful of the
spinach mixture on each thigh, then roll it up and
wind a bacon rasher around to hold it in place.
Place the parcels in a small roasting pan, then bake
in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes.
Once the chicken is cooked through and the
bacon crispy, remove from the oven. Keep the
chicken covered on a warmed plate.
Slice the remaining shiitake and finely chop the
2 shallots. Place the frying pan over the heat, then
toss in the shallots and shiitake, gently loosening
any pan drippings on the bottom. When the shii-
take have softened, add the stock, then bring to the
boil. Add the chopped thyme, then simmer until it
has reduced to a syrupy sauce.
To serve, put 2 thighs on each of 4 plates, spoon
over the hot sauce and accompany with steamed
broccolini.
Serves 4.
Wine match: chardonnay.
More on shiitake mushrooms